Thompson: The stolen lulav

October 12, 2011|By Rabbi Yaakov Thompson, Florida Jewish Journal

This week as we celebrate Sukkot we come face to face with the rich symbolism of the holiday.

The lulav and etrog remind us of the Land of Israel and the fall harvest. In ancient Israel Sukkot was a harvest holiday. The sukkah reminds us of the wandering of our ancestors — seeking temporary shelter on the long trek from Egypt to Israel. The sukkah also recalls the frailty of human endeavor — no matter how great our achievements; we are also subject to forces greater than ourselves. Inviting honored ancestors into the sukkah, ushpizin, gives voice to the connections that we have to the great luminaries of our faith. Sukkot is probably the one holiday that is richest in symbols and spiritual metaphors. It is, therefore, very puzzling when we study what our sages wrote in the Mishnah, the first code of Jewish law, about Sukkot.

Yes, there is the mention of the prayers to be recited and the timing of the holiday and the rituals to be observed, but then the rabbis take an unexpected turn. They begin to discuss the status of a stolen lulav. What. A Jew would steal a Lulav? Well, yes, I don't think the rabbis are discussing a wanton act of robbery but, rather, an accident that might happen. Picture this: a pious Jew is walking among beautiful palm trees and spies just the perfect branch. He feels the tree is in the middle of nowhere and cuts off this beautiful lulav to celebrate the holiday. Little did he know that he was walking through someone else's property and the tree has an owner. He now has a "stolen" lulav even though that was not his intention. Wow, you say. Those rabbis sure thought up crazy situations. I remind you that in an agricultural society this situation is not crazy at all. Well, even if that's true, what's the point?

The rabbis were not just making a crazy scenario for the fun of it. They were teaching an important lesson that we should ponder. It is a very good thing to want to do a mitzvah. It is a very good thing to achieve a lofty goal. Nonetheless, one should never try to achieve such a goal in the wrong way. The rabbis wanted every Jew to have a beautiful lulav and etrog to mark Sukkot but not at the price of "stealing" it. The case of the "stolen" lulav is a simple but profound statement — even when it comes to serving God the ends never justify the means. Even the best intention must be achieved with the best of means. If you lose sight of that your achievement is not noble, it is not a mitzvah.

This is an important message for us right now — our country, our entire world, calls us to action. So many things to fix, so many things to make right, so many competing visions of the future. I would ask you to always remember the lesson of the stolen lulav. The end result never justifies the means that are unjust or wrong. We are judged not only by what we achieve but also by the means we use to get there.